This application relates to a flashlight holder and particularly to a holder for attaching a conventional tubular flashlight to the forearm of a person.
Persons working, inspecting or otherwise active in darkened and particularly small darkened areas, will often employ a conventional tubular flashlight for illuminating of the area. A conventional flashlight consists of a tubular housing with a light fixture secured to one end. The light fixture is conventionally removable to expose the end of the housing to receive a plurality of dry cell batteries. Conventionally the larger flashlights used by working personnel or the like use a plurality of C-type or D-type dry cell batteries. The D-type batteries are slightly longer and larger in diameter and have greater power capacity. If the person requires the use of both hands, the flashlight must be propped in position to illuminate the appropriate area or held by another person. Such other person may not be available, or it may not be convenient or possible to support the flashlight for the desired or necessary illumination. Further, in a working relationship the use of additional personnel unduly increases the cost. Thus, it is desirable to provide some means whereby the one person can appropriately locate the lamp or flashlight while using both hands. Special fixtures have been suggested for releasable securing to the workmen and particularly to the person's arm to permit projection of the light. The flashlight may be specially mounted in a special fixture to which the flashlight is attached. Various strap members are then secured through the fixture as a means for interconnecting of the fixture to the person's arm. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,200,403 which issued Oct. 3, 1916 to one Weyer discloses a special flashlight mounting fixture having strap means for interconnecting of the fixture to the person's arm. Other similar suggestions are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,923,962 which issued Aug. 22, 1933 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,024,281 which issued Dec. 17, 1935. A wire formated support for releasably clamping of a flashlight to the arm of a person is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,583,596 which issued May 4, 1926.
Although various suggestions have been made, none of them have been commercially exploited and are not at least commercially available to the present inventor's knowledge. Generally, it is believed that such devices are relatively complex, expensive and do not appear to be such as to be conveniently stored or carried. All of these factors tend to detract from the commercial practicality of the prior art suggestions and are in the opinion of the present inventor such as to prevent the feasable implementation of such structures on a large or mass scale. There is therefore a significant need for a relatively inexpensive and reliable flashlight holder device which permits the interconnection of the flashlight to the arm of a person. Such device should preferably permit the attachment such that the light can be projected longitudinally of the person's arm or otherwise located at some angular orientation for optimum positioning of the light and the illuminating pattern.